Xiang Mantang had just felt something was amiss when Jian Ruyan pushed him away.
He turned around, wanting to see what was wrong with Jian Ruyan.
"Bang!"
The door was directly closed by Jian Ruyan.
Xiang Mantang's nose almost got hit by the door; seeing this, he touched his nose with a resigned expression, while the familiar feeling he originally had disappeared with this interruption.
He simply thought Jian Ruyan was being petulant.
After all, no matter how cold and mature Jian Ruyan appeared, she was in the end just a girl of eighteen or nineteen. Her churlish behavior due to his obstinacy, not wanting to pay him much attention, was quite normal.
"Sigh..." Xiang Mantang let out a light sigh, standing at the door and called out to the inside, "I will come back alive to see you..."
Having said that, Xiang Mantang turned decisively and left the corridor without any further delay, quickly departing.
...
In the room.
Jian Ruyan leaned against the door, hearing Xiang Mantang's promise, her body gradually weakened and slowly slid down from the door.
In the end, she curled up at the door, her arms wrapped around her chest, her complexion pale, tears already covering her cheeks.
'Why is it always like this? Ever since I was a child, you always stood in front of me, shielding me from the wind and rain, protecting me...'
'I really hope that I can hold my own, become your support, stand side by side with you, protect you, but I'm too clumsy, still unable to step into the Innate Realm...'
'They must be running out of patience too, I don't know what exactly they want to do, why they are willing to let me out to see you, but I can't warn you, nor dare to acknowledge you, otherwise they will...'
After a while of messy thoughts, Jian Ruyan's eyes.
Shifted from helpless softness back to determination and resoluteness.
She got up from the ground, took a piece of tissue paper to wipe away the tear stains on her face, moved to the window with graceful steps, and looked out over the training ground at the sight of Xiang Mantang getting into the car and slowly moving away.
"I won't let your expectations down. While you're not here, Dragon King Hall will be guarded by me!"
...
Xiang Mantang didn't know what Jian Ruyan had thought after he left.
After leaving the headquarters of Dragon King Hall, he went to the sanatorium to visit Mu Jinyu again.
Entering the room, Xiang Mantang stood in front of the ice coffin, carefully observing Mu Jinyu's complexion, noticing that it was still rosy and healthy, but without any vital energy.
This time, Xiang Mantang didn't just look for a while and leave. He stayed in the room, talking to Mu Jinyu for three days.
But over these three days, he didn't see any signs of Mu Jinyu waking up.
"Indeed, the so-called 'quietly waiting for you to wake up' is ultimately just a joke. Maybe I'm too impatient, I really can't keep waiting without hope, I'd rather take a risk!"
Xiang Mantang looked at Mu Jinyu's sleeping face, sighed deeply, and after giving Mu Jinyu's face a deep look, he turned and walked out with long strides.
After leaving the sanatorium.
Xiang Mantang got into the car that had been waiting silently to the side and said to Gao Yu, "Let's go, to the airport."
"Yes," Gao Yu responded, and then took Xiang Mantang to the airport.
The Babylon that Xiang Mantang was headed to was one of the Four Great Ancient Civilizations. However, it had long been destroyed in history, and strictly speaking, the place he was actually going to was not Babylon but the Mesopotamian Plain.
This plain is said to be the place where the world's first city was established, filled with the earliest epics, myths, pharmacopeias, farmer's almanacs, and so on, the cradle of human civilization....
But now, it is fraught with war and extremely dangerous.
Of course, this danger, for Xiang Mantang, didn't count for much.
Half a day later.
Xiang Mantang had arrived at this war-torn plain.
He didn't know where to start looking for the Garden of Eden that was lost with the great flood that ended the world, so he wandered around aimlessly for a while.
He visited the majestic Ancient Babylon City and then went to the Etemenanki Temple, which was said to have originally been the Tower of Babel reaching into the heavens.
Afterward, he also looked at the Hanging Gardens, one of the eight wonders of the world.
However, he didn't find the entrance to the Garden of Eden there either.
In the end, Xiang Mantang stood by the Tigris River, staring at the emerald-green flowing water, lost in thought.
He had been searching here for seven days.
But he hadn't found any clues.
This made him somewhat anxious.
"New Dragon King?!"
At that moment, a rough voice called out; it was obvious the speaker was not fluent in Chinese.
The absorbed Xiang Mantang immediately snapped back to reality, withdrew his gaze, and turned to look behind him.
There stood two men, one white and one black.
The one who had spoken was the white man.
"Who are you?"
Xiang Mantang was surprised that someone here recognized him and wondered if they were from Jinyu Mantang or some other organization.
"Let me introduce myself, my name is Barlow." The white man introduced himself and pointed to the black man, saying, "His name is Leon."
After pausing for a moment, Barlow introduced them more formally: "We are from 'Paradise Lost'."
"People from Paradise Lost?!"
Xiang Mantang heard what the stranger said and his expression remained unchanged, yet his heart suddenly sped up a bit.
He had mentioned this organization to Mu Jinyu before, but even he wasn't clear about the true purpose of this mysterious group.
But now, having encountered them by the Tigris River, Xiang Mantang faintly guessed their intention.
Could Paradise Lost actually be in search of the lost Garden of Eden?!
He had not anticipated that both Omniscient, which had always been hidden in the shadows, and Paradise Lost, would emerge one after another during this period.
Now, only Heavenly Palace, Buddha's Light Shines Everywhere, and Way of Nature from the few organizations remained without any action.
However, Heavenly Palace was active around the Kunlun Ruins and didn't need much consideration; Buddha's Light Shines Everywhere and Way of Nature, these two great organizations, usually wouldn't get involved with the world, either living hidden lives in their various temples or undergoing training amidst the mortal world.
Xiang Mantang suddenly felt impatient, then he remembered that Fallen Splendor and Brilliant Divine Authority, which had been quiet during this time...
They couldn't be plotting something in the dark, could they?
During this period, he had been preoccupied with saving Mu Jinyu and hadn't paid much attention to them!
And then, Xiang Mantang recalled what the old man from Omniscient had told him, that his coming here was both an opportunity and a great crisis...
Was it going to come true with Paradise Lost?!
"Dragon King, are you here looking for the Garden of Eden as well?"
As various thoughts raced through Xiang Mantang's mind, Barlow spoke up and asked him.
"Hmm?" Xiang Mantang heard Barlow's words and snapped back to attention, no longer thinking about the great crisis. His gaze sharp as a hawk's, he looked sternly at Barlow and said in a firm voice, "Yes, is your group, Paradise Lost, always in search of the Garden of Eden?"
"Yes," Barlow nodded.
Knowing Xiang Mantang's purpose, he didn't show any hostility or unwelcoming attitude but invited him, saying, "We currently have some progress and know where the entrance to the Garden of Eden is."